A surprisingly big audience had found its way to Lille Sal early Saturday afternoon – surprising because it was the first real concert with Song for Wendy.

The concert was arranged by the Århusian festival Lyd+Litteratur, which specializes in meetings between music, art and poetry. Dressed in fanciful Romanticist attires, the three musicians on the stage created a dreamy atmosphere with their gentle and delicately melodious songs – the lyrics to which stemmed from English poetry from the last three hundred years.

The audience listened quietly, and many leaned back with their eyes closed – except between songs, where Song for Wendy received an overwhelming applause.

After the concert, SPOT Live had a chat with some of the listeners.

John Rosenkilde from musicalliance.dk found it “pretty fantastic”, while Jan Sneum from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation admits to being a long time fan of singer Dísa.


- Dísa has an unusually good voice. I’ve been following her music for many, many years. Sometimes it gets a little too neat and tidy, but I keep coming back to hear what she does next. She is deeply original.

- I also like the format; the idea of mixing music and poetry. Anything that challenges the ordinary concepts. Like the Nordic Cowriters programme here at SPOT, where the songwriters sometimes get to play in unexpected constellations, said Sneum.


“I recited the poem for him, but it didn’t help”
The project started out as a collaboration between Icelandic singer Dísa and Danish singer/songwriter and guitarist Mads Mouritz, who have both previously worked with contemporary Danish poet Lone Hørslev. Later they were joined by Tobias Buch of the Late Great Fitzgeraldos on keyboards. Although he normally resides in Los Angeles, they aim to continue as a trio.

So this was your first concert with the Song for Wendy project?

- We actually had a sneak premiere at the Copenhagen restaurant Soupanatural last weekend. We just sat there on a couch all three of us, playing. It went really well. But it was nice to play in a place with a little more room, said Mads Mouritz.

How did you think of writing music for hundred-year-old poems?

One of our songs, “I think of little else”, was the first poem I learned by heart when I was 8. This was in London where I grew up. I was in love with a boy who wouldn’t go out with me. I recited the poem for him, but it didn’t help. But ever since then I’ve known it by heart. His name was Curtis, remembers Dísa.

The first step for the trio is to write more songs. Later they dream of touring in Denmark and abroad. Their first international gig is already planned: On October 7 they will play at the Scandinavian House in New York City.